Rick Steves refunding 2020 tours, maintaining payroll

Travel guide and guru Rick Steves travels to Europe every year around this time, but the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping him home in Edmonds for the first time in 30 years. He doesn’t mind it though, despite graciously refunding thousands of European vacations, because he’s learned how to cut onions.
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“I’m doing fine. I feel like I’m almost cheating the pandemic living in Edmonds. I’ve got a wonderful quarantine partner, so I’m not lonely, and right now I’m at home exploring places where I’m steep on the learning curve,” Steves said.
One would think that such a traveled man would know a little bit about everything, but Steves says he can’t cook.
“I’ve sort of made a point of not knowing how to cook my whole life” he chuckled as he explained. “I’ve been in this house for 10 years and I’ve honestly never turned on the oven until this crisis.”
But now, he’s tossing handmade pasta like chefs in his favorite country, Italy (you have to use olive oil or it’ll stick together), and has discovered a newfound love for onions.
“I have never felt the sensation of a serrated knife cutting through a nice, crispy onion until now and that’s a beautiful thing. That’s a beautiful thing. And I would not have had that had it not been for this crisis.”
Steves is just trying to find the beauty of being kept at home, but is quick to acknowledge the privilege of living in a